


One Step Forward and Three Steps Back

by Valkyri (kisikil)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa Zero
Genre: Danganronpa Student Council, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 07:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11009067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisikil/pseuds/Valkyri
Summary: Suzuko just wants to have one active day with her fellow council members! But, there was one problem that may stop her from achieving that...or, really, three problems.





	One Step Forward and Three Steps Back

**Author's Note:**

> a fic update AND a new fic? obviously, i am no longer the same person i once was. i am instead my evil twin, milie

The current Hope’s Peak Academy student council was renowned for its nonchalance. In fact, they were so renowned for this, it was presumed that not a single member within actually did any kind of arduous work...work that Headmaster Kirigiri would call for, at least. You could truly see the student council shine when it came to student activities and events. On the first day of November, Christmas music could be heard blaring from the council room as the members passed around Santa hats and precariously dangled themselves on the side of the building in an effort to string lights. They had the audacity to pursue a campus-wide talent show: an event within an academy filled with, well, naturally-born talented students, which was basically a more accepted yearly exam without the threat of grades or judges or expulsion. During the culture festivals, they delved into different ways to make it truly unique and distinctive, such as having a maid cafe in which the waitresses were, instead, waiters, still adorned in the same famed dresses. Yes, the student council truly did care about their fellow students and tried to make their three years within the most prestigious academy in Japan - possibly the world - the most fun it could possibly be.

But, that was only about twenty percent of the time. The other eighty percent was spent, most accurately in the words of the Ultimate Rockstar and student council member, Shouji Yokoo, “dicking around”. Every Friday they would hold meetings, and they would be productive...for about ten minutes. Otherwise, the student council room was a place to skip class, sleep, eat, play games, do absolutely _nothing_ (unless you were Soshun Murasame or Karen Kisaragi, bless their souls), and generally be slothful, good-for-nothing lugs that they really were not intended to be when they joined the council, much less were recruited into Hope’s Peak Academy.

And if there was one thing Suzuko Kashiki absolutely _detested_ , it was sitting around.

Sometimes there would be meetings that would serve to be “breather periods”, as Soshun put it, or “a time to be an absolutely lazy piece of shit”, as Kotomi put it. It was a time to get away from class, get away from the stress of school, even the stress of _life_ and just sit around, enjoying each other’s company and building the bonds between friends.

_Can’t we ‘build our bonds’ actually doing something, though?_ Suzuko would think as she restlessly sat at her chair in the council room. She bounced her leg at impeccable speeds, tapping every finger on the table in a twisted rhythm and adjusted herself every minute. Sure, she liked being with her friends, and sure, she didn’t mind a breather period every once and awhile - but for an _hour_? An hour _every day?_ Suzuko wasn’t sure if she would come out of her second year the same sane girl she was when she went into it! She was used to moving, her body constantly in motion as her mind drifted through time in a ceaseless, almost romantic way. Moving, exercising, _sweating_ was her breathing period!

This, though… This stillness… This dispassion… This impassivity… It was… It was torture! It was cruel! She felt as though she was _cheating_ herself! But, what worried her the most wasn’t her restlessness… It was the other’s acceptance at such an inactive lifestyle! They were all so content with just...sitting! She… She didn’t understand it!

And one day, she refused to try to understand it any further. She slammed her hands on the table and threw herself onto her feet.

“Everyone!” she shouted, her inner team player starting to break free. “I have a fun idea! Something we could all do together!”

Unfortunately, she was talking to about four people max. Everyone else already left. _Why didn’t I just leave, then, too…?_ No… She couldn’t! Because that was rude! She touched her nose with her finger before flinging it towards the nearest person, which was by chance a certain pink fashion designer who spent most of these meetings filing her nails.

“Nishizawa!”

“No.”

“Aw, come on, Nishizawa!” Suzuko pouted, throwing her hands down her sides and stomping her foot. “You didn’t even hear what I had to say!”

“I don’t need to,” Kiriko merely replied.

“At least hear me out!”

“No.”

“So, this is what I was thinking,” Suzuko said, completely ignoring Kiriko’s indifference. “I was thinking we could all try exercising together! Nothing brings people together more than when they’re all sweaty and out of breath!”

“I’d rather dig my eyeliner pencils into your eye sockets,” was Kiriko’s response to that. Suzuko sat herself back down in her seat, resigning to a complete and utter defeat. A few moments of awkward silence and thumb twiddling passed before Kiriko spoke again. “There’s no way you’ll get everyone here to do that.”

Suzuko threw herself back onto her feet and slammed her hands against the table once more. “Sure I can!” she exclaimed. “With enough motivation, we’ll all-”

“Stop slamming your hands on the table,” Kiriko commanded, and Suzuko obliged by taking her hands off the table. “How about this, then? There’s a sure-fire way you’ll be able to get every single person in this measly council to exercise if you do _one_ impossible deed.”

“Nothing’s impossible if you put your mind to it!” Suzuko shouted, saluting.

“Get those three to exercise with you first.”

Kiriko pointed to the corner of the room, where the other three members still in the room were...three siblings, to be specific. All three were holed up underneath a blanket fort, the only light emanating from it being the TV screen that currently had a cartoony fighting game playing. All three were engorged in the game, all side-by-side and pushing each other in order to gain unfair advantages.

“Hey, you little shit!” Kotomi shouted, elbowing Ryouta in the face as she slurped Cheemo residue off her fingers. “I thought we were gonna gang up on him, not _each other!_ ”

“You guys were gonna _what_?!” Sousuke cried out, taking his eyes off the screen. “Wh-Why would you guys do that-” Suddenly, there was a shout on the screen, and Sousuke whipped his head back to find that he had been completely annihilated by Ryouta while he wasn’t looking. He let out a long, exaggerated whine.

Kotomi laughed. She turned her head to Ryouta. “I get it! You were waiting ‘til he looked away-” Suddenly, the same excruciating, bloody shout sounded from the game, and Kotomi turned back to the screen with a somber expression. She understood; it wasn’t Sousuke who was being tricked, it was _her_ who was being betrayed.

“I win,” was all Ryouta had to say.

“Oh, _fuck_ you!” Kotomi shouted.

Suzuko just stared at the siblings as they gorged themselves on junk food and yelled at each other over a video game they played for hours on end together everyday. _Maybe this was an impossible deed._

\---

“Alright, guys!” Suzuko shouted, punching her fist through the fresh, crisp outside air. “We’re gonna have so much fun today! Are you guys pumped? Because I sure am!”

In front of her were the three siblings in a disgruntled line. Suzuko managed to get them all into their gym clothes and bring them out to the campus track; Ryouta obliged easily when asked nicely, Kotomi only agreed with a deal (she would come if she got to see _Suzuko_ exercise), and Sousuke had zero problems with coming, though now he seemed to greatly regret it, especially under the harsh, bright sun. Ryouta still wore his jacket for some reason, and, while he left most of his stuffed animals back in his dorm, he still had his favorite Mr. Turtle in his arms. Kotomi brought a bag of chips and was loudly chewing them, letting out a loud burp when Suzuko addressed them. Sousuke...did not look ready to exercise at all, since his gym clothes were all neatly ironed, his makeup and hair was still done, and he looked like a uncertain wild animal as he hugged himself awkwardly. All three of them had the same furrowed brow - a look that said that they _really_ didn’t want to be there.

“Um, Kashiki?” Sousuke said, raising his hand. “Can we wrap this up quick? It’s really hot, and I’d rather not sweat.”

“Uh, that’s kind of the point, Ichino,” Suzuko replied, utterly confused at his statement.

“I-I can’t sweat!” Sousuke shouted. “I’ll get all gross and...sweaty!”

Suzuko sighed. She could already tell this was going to be a long ride.

“Come on, guys!” Suzuko exclaimed, jumping up and putting her hands on her hips. “Let’s get excited! This’ll be fun!”

“Jump again.”

“ _No_ , Kotomi,” Suzuko scolded. “I thought it may be a little difficult for you guys to get pumped at first… That’s why I asked for support to cheer you on! Tah-dah!” Suzuko threw her hands toward her right. The siblings all turned their heads to a bench; there sat Soshun Murasame with a lunch box in his lap and a sandwich in his hands.

“Hi, Soshun!” Sousuke excitedly hollered, waving at his best friend.

“Hi, Sousuke,” Soshun yelled, waving back at him before biting into his sandwich.

“Oh my god, Soshun,” Kotomi said. “Don’t you have anything better to do than constantly support your friends?”

“No, Kotomi. I don’t,” Soshun droned with a smile on his face. “Because supporting and loving my friends is the best thing I _can_ do.”

“Isn’t he cool?!”

“Yeah.”

“Stop drooling over the homewrecker!”

Suzuko clapped her hands together. “Alrighty, gang! Let’s get to runnin’!”

“ _What?”_ All three of them whined in an eerie unison.

“Y-Yeah!” Suzuko stuttered. “That’s why...we’re here at the school track? To run?”

“Screw that,” Kotomi spat before plopping more chips in her mouth. Suzuko knew trying to get Kotomi to do anything she _didn’t_ want to do was like trying to get Asukasei to utter one kind thing about Soshun. She knew this was going to require strategic planning and deep thinking. First question to consider: what motivates Kotomi more than anything?

Suzuko whipped out her phone and pretended to dial a number. She held the phone to her ear and, with a tinge of uncertainty in her voice, said, “Hey there...Kisaragi! Just wanted to ask ya somethin’...” Suzuko was never known for her acting skills - she left that to the Ultimate Actor himself - but how was Kotomi to know that there wasn’t someone on the other line? Though the minute Suzuko mentioned the secretary’s name, Kotomi immediately started leaning over the track star, trying to hear the conversation between her and the love of her life. Suzuko pressed her palm against Kotomi’s forehead and kept her an arm-lengths away. “I’m trying to get Ikuta to run, but she’s not having it! What do you think I should do, Kisaragi?” Kotomi waved her arms at Suzuko’s face and nearly hit her cheek. “Oh! You say you’ll give Ikuta a _biiiiiig_ kiss if she runs three miles? Well, that certainly sounds-!”

Suzuko nearly stumbled to the ground now that nothing was holding her at bay. She looked around to find that Kotomi...vanished. She was gone; there was no trace of her anywhere. Even her brothers looked around, absolutely befuddled on where their sister could have _possibly_ gone! All that was left behind was the bag of chips, its contents littered all over the grainy track floor.

“Huh,” Suzuko said, stuffing her quiet phone back in her pocket. “Guess that worked!” Admittedly, she _was_ a bit jealous at how fast Kotomi ran; the track star worked all her life to reach those speeds! But, as long as the sharpshooter was running, that’s all that mattered.

“Alrighty!” Suzuko piped up again. “Who’s ne- Ichino?”

When she turned back to the brothers, all who stood there was little Ryouta...and Mr. Turtle, technically. Suzuko blinked a few times, wondering where the cosmetologist could’ve gone off to - maybe he chased after his sister to make sure she didn’t trip and fall? - only to find him seated on the bench with Soshun with his arm around the president’s shoulders. Soshun was about to plop a mini cheese wheel into his mouth when Sousuke grabbed his wrist and bit into it himself instead. Soshun looked simultaneously flustered and upset.

“Ichino!” Suzuko pouted, stomping her foot. “It’s not break time yet!”

“You don’t understand, Kashiki!” Sousuke cried out, tears nearly welling in his eyes. “I can’t sweat! My makeup will get all runny, and no one wants to see that!” Sousuke’s bright and cheery smile returned as he leaned more towards Soshun and waved at the two still on the track. “So, you two have fun! I’ll be with Soshun.” The student council president let out some incomprehensible noise from the back of his throat while Sousuke fed him the cheese wheel he just bit into.

Suzuko sulked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. Kotomi was one thing, but this was an entirely different problem altogether. The sister had a weakness… The brother’s was already here, in the flesh. He claimed to have more to lose than to gain when it came to exercising now… But, that was simply not true! So, how could Suzuko get Sousuke to run…?

Suddenly, a small, beady-eyed creature popped its head out from Sousuke’s pocket.

“Aki!” Sousuke chimed as the little squirrel scurried out of his pocket and onto his lap. “You hungry, little guy?” Aki excitedly squeaked, crawling up Sousuke’s shirt and onto his shoulder. Soshun plucked a grape off the small vine he had in his lunchbox and handed it to their small squirrel child. Aki happily nibbled at the skin; Sousuke squealed at how adorable he was.

_That’s it!_

“Aki!” Suzuko called out to the little squirrel. Aki’s ears perked as he hopped back into Sousuke’s lap, grape still grasped in its miniscule paws. She skipped up to the bench and leaned over, whispering something into the squirrel’s ear. Aki suddenly dropped his grape, his black eyes growing wide. Then, he dashed off his dad’s lap and off towards the school building. Sousuke jumped onto his feet.

“W-Wait! Aki!!” Sousuke cried, chasing after his little squirrel. “What if you get lost?! What if someone tries to touch you? Wait!” He pursued Aki, and the both of them disappeared into the building. Suzuko was so proud of herself; Soshun was dumbfounded.

“Um… What’d you do?” Soshun asked.

“I told Aki there was a huge pile of acorns waiting for him in the garden on the fifth floor!” Suzuko replied.

“You...know how to speak squirrel?”

“And now all that leaves is-!” Suzuko shouted, completely ignoring Soshun’s question. When she turned around, however, she found Ryouta sitting cross-legged on the track floor, his eyes downcast, still hugging Mr. Turtle. He seemed dazed out, tired...but, he always looked that way. He always looked lonely to Suzuko.

So, Suzuko stepped up and sat in front of him, her own legs crossed. It was only then that he finally looked up to see her. She gave him a soft smile.

“Hey, little Someya,” Suzuko cooed. “You wanna run with me?”

Ryouta was quiet for a moment. “...I don’t like running.”

“It’ll be fun! I promise,” the track runner assured. But, Ryouta didn’t seem convinced. He just kept sitting there, his eyes shifted away from her. He sported a small pout while he hugged his small stuffed turtle.

_Mr. Turtle…_

Suzuko reached out and swiped Mr. Turtle from Ryouta’s arms. They both jumped to their feet; Suzuko hopped away from him, jogging in place with Mr. Turtle’s head bouncing in her hands.

“H-Hey!” Ryouta shrieked. “Give him back!”

“You’re gonna have to catch me to rescue him, little Someya!” Suzuko shouted before zipping off and away.

“That’s not fair!” Ryouta yelled, chasing after her. “You’re the Ultimate _Track Star_!”

Suzuko didn’t listen to his pleas, however; she kept running, Mr. Turtle firmly grasped in her arms. The two of them left behind a baffled Soshun and ran all about the campus, both inside the buildings and out. Suzuko would hide out in bushes and behind decorations, trying to stay out of Ryouta’s sight. However, all those hours of video games paid off, as Ryouta was easily able to uncover her hiding places and resume the chase. At one point, Suzuko ducked herself behind a divider, in which Ryouta leaped over it and on top of her like a cat hunting for its prey. Ryouta wasn’t nearly at the athletic level that Suzuko was, but he was clearly superior when it came to deciphering her strategies to lose him and to uncover her hiding spots.

All the while, Suzuko had a huge smile on her face, laughing the entire time.

This went on for an hour or so; a game of cat and mouse...or, really, a cat chasing another cat because the latter cat stole the former’s mouse. But, all things must come to an end, and Suzuko was eventually out of hiding spaces. As she was climbing the short set of steps that led into the school building, Ryouta slipped out from his _own_ hiding spot behind a pillar and tackled her, the two of them stumbling down the stairs and onto the ground. Suzuko lost grip of Mr. Turtle - Ryouta was victorious.

Suzuko giggled as she stood up and dusted herself off. “You got me, little Someya!” she cheered. “See? Wasn’t that f-?”

She turned to Ryouta, who was still face-first on the concrete, Mr. Turtle’s little turtle hand firmly grasped in his.

“Um… Someya?”

He didn’t move. She did notice something, though; he was sweating profusely, almost an unhealthy amount. That’s when she realized:

He was wearing a thick hoodie on what was the hottest day of the year.

\---

“I can’t believe Someya got _heat stroke_!”

Every council member was in the student council room, gathered around the blanket fort in the corner. Within was a suffering Ryouta, laying amongst his dozens of stuffed animals, his cheeks pink from the sun and a cool, wet cloth on his forehead. Instead of taking him to the nurse’s office like normal students would do, Suzuko had Shouji and Daiki carry the boy to his fort so he was comfortable. Everyone was in the council room at that point...even the siblings, one who was then pushing through the group while wearing a pink apron and kerchief on his head, carrying a cold, condensing bottle of water in his hand.

“Excuse me! Excuse ME! I have to get to my _LITTLE BROTHER_!” Sousuke shouted, making extra sure to not touch anyone but making everyone sure he was coming through. When he reached his ailing Ryouta, he knelt down next to him and held the bottle out. “Here, little buddy.”

“I’m not thirsty,” Ryouta said, his back to Sousuke and his voice raspy.

“You have to drink!” Sousuke choked up, his eyes tearing up. “You might DIE if you don’t!” Ryouta flipped over and grabbed the bottle out of Sousuke’s hand.

Meanwhile, Suzuko lingered behind the crowd, her shoulders slumped and her head hanging limply. She felt absolutely _terrible_ for what happened - she was so enthralled with trying to get the siblings to exercise, she ignored basic protocols when it came to working out outside! If she hadn’t become so selfish when it came to doing something active, her little Someya wouldn’t have gotten hurt… He would be nice and comfy and safe in his blanket fort playing video games rather than suffering and parched!

“I’m so sorry, Ikuta,” Suzuko apologized for the fiftieth time that hour to her red-headed classmate next to her.

“Eh, it’s fine,” Kotomi replied, a squirrel sitting on her shoulder nibbling at an acorn and looking much more plump than usual. “This is probably the most excitement he’s had in awhile, anyway.”

Once the worried group dispersed (and a distraught Sousuke finally left the room), Suzuko took her chance to apologize to the person who really deserved it. She hesitantly stepped over to Ryouta’s blanket fort and lifted the cover, revealing the poor, drained heap of a boy who was now cradling a water bottle, back again facing the opening of his fort. Suzuko sighed and crawled in, sitting besides him.

“Hey, little Someya…” Suzuko muttered. “I’m...really sorry about what happened.”

He didn’t respond. _There’s no doubt he must be furious with me…_ she thought. She pat her hand on his arm.

“I...won’t make you work out with me again,” Suzuko said. “I promise… I don’t want you to get hurt ag-”

“I had fun,” Ryouta croaked out with his small voice, interrupting Suzuko mid-sentence. Suzuko just stared at him with her mouth still agape. Ryouta didn’t turn around to face her when speaking, but something in his voice - no matter how pitiful it sounded - seemed to hold a tinge of joy. “It was fun. Let’s do it again. Not when it’s so hot, though…”

Suzuko blinked a few times, disbelief completely encompassing her entire being. After a few moments of shaking it away, though, she smiled.

“Yeah, let’s!” she exclaimed with a huge, toothy grin on her face. “No more wearing that hoodie when we do so, though.”

“But I like my hoodie. I can hide my snacks in it.”

Suzuko giggled and ruffled the little plushie boy’s hair. Ryouta looked up at her and smiled.

 

**Author's Note:**

> THIS FIC? WACK  
> THESE STUCOS? WACK  
> MY EXISTENCE? WACK  
> COMMENTS AND KUDOS? **_TIGHT AS FUCK_**


End file.
